KNOWITALL
by deetatarant
Summary: Owen wants to know why Ianto 'knows everything'.


**KNOW-IT-ALL**

Owen Harper had never been a sentimental man. If anything he was a natural cynic. A man of few words unless he was chatting up a 'bird' and even fewer concerns, as long as he got a good lay and came in to work with a thumping great hangover he really didn't want to know. He counted himself a survivor, not in the way that Ianto had survived the destruction of Torchwood One, or Tosh, imprisonment at the hands of UNIT but a survivor non the less. He had grown up in a middle class coddle of nannies and a loveless home. He dragged himself through medical school by the skin of his teeth and held on, though God only knew how all the way through Katies' deterioration and demise. He'd survived with his cynicism intact and his liver still miraculously functioning. He had only known Katies' love, had never known friendship and respect until one day his boss, Jack Harkness, had run out on him and his colleagues. They struggled, foundered and wobbled. They found themselves and rebuilt their team, redefining themselves along the way and discovering that really they didn't need their boss at all. Well mostly anyway.

The exception to this new found revelation was Ianto Jones. A young man, who in Owen's view, had no business being in their line of work. For a start the boy was just too young. The sad fact of the matter was that he'd seen more pain than the rest of the team put together had nothing to do with it. This particular young man, Welsh through and through apart from his dislike of rugby, was obsessed…..with everything. Ianto's own neatness and exhaustive standards of personal hygiene being the first irritation for Owen. The second was his continual cleaning, cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning. Owen realised he should be grateful because it meant he'd never have to clean up after himself ever again, but it was driving him nuts. It drove him so mad that he started making mess for the sake of it. His favourite one being hiding mugs and growing cultures in them and then placing them around the Hub when they were just the right shade of green or the perfect height in furriness. What upset him further was the fact that Ianto never batted an eyelid at the medic's passive protests, he just served him Decaf coffee instead. The ultimate weapon in his arsenal. Owen had to hand it to him, the boy was a genius really.

Ianto's other bad habit was his filing. Owen liked the alphabet the same as any man, so long as 'A' came before 'E' what did it matter about names, dates, times and places? Owen was banned from filing anything ever again. Then there was the Minister for Defence. Somehow the insidious, odious man would only ever speak to the Tea Boy. Why? Owen had no idea, he certainly never wanted to talk to Gwen and when Jack had come back he didn't want to talk to Jack either (Well you couldn't blame him for that, Jack would probably ask for phone sex anyway.) Maybe that's what Ianto was doing! Owen often wondered. The other annoying thing about Ianto was the boy's absolute certainty that he knew 'everything', the trouble was he did. Owen had yet to prove him wrong, even on medical matters the boy could answer a question, though Owen would never trust him with a knife or a needle. Talking of needles, he even knew how to fix 'that' bloody coat. How could one man know so much? Owen was determined to find out and find out he did, though he wished he hadn't.

Ianto sat on the autopsy table in silence and watched as Owen carefully picked out the shards of broken glass from the back of his hand. Thank god for local anaesthesia was all he could think of because he knew damn well how much this should be hurting. His head was still hurting and all Ianto wanted to do was go home and fold himself up in his quilt and go to sleep. He hated days like this. Days when they got hurt for no bloody good reason and today there had been no good reason what so ever. A car accident in town thanks to a drunk driver and it had taken all of Ianto's strength to stop Jack from killing the man that had nearly killed them. Ianto's car was a write off and thankfully apart from some bruises and scrapes both he and Jack were ok. Jack was sat beside him a hand protectively rested against the small of his back, but the older man was silent, still angry, Ianto could tell.

"Ianto, this is going need surgery, some of this glass has gone in very deep, I don't want to risk damaging your tendons. I'll need to put you under." Owen commented.

Ianto froze and gaped at the medic in horror. "Can't you give me a stronger local?"

Owen stepped back and pulled off his latex gloves. "No, like I said it's a bit tricky. You'll only be out for a couple of hours…."

Ianto hopped off the bench. "I don't want to be out at all. Just pull the glass out and shove some stitches in. It'll be fine." He was becoming alarmed now.

Owen frowned at him. " Oh, yes Dr Ianto? You are not a mechano set. I can't just do that. Tell him Jack."

Jack sighed and reached out to grasp Ianto's good hand. "Yan, Owen's right…."

"Jack! I am not going under, no way." Ianto was panicking now. He tried to pull himself away from Jack's grasp. "You can't make me do that!"

Owen and Jack both stared as Ianto started to shout at them obviously frightened.

"Ianto mate. It's ok really. It's perfectly safe."

Ianto yanked his hand free from Jack's grasp and backed against the bench. "No it's not Ok. It really isn't!"

Jack exchanged a look with Owen, they were completely dumbstruck by the young man's behaviour. Jack cautiously edged forwards, his hands held out in a submissive gesture.

"Yan come on, this is silly…."

"Really not helping Jack! I am not having a general anaesthetic under any circumstances." Ianto screamed, terrified.

"Ok, mate….Ok no drugs. I promise, but I really need to finish up on your hand. Come on Ianto. Let me sort that out before the local wears off." Owen tried to sound as reassuring as he could.

Ianto wouldn't budge holding his injured hand protectively against his chest.

Jack had never seen him look so scared.

"Ianto, please?"

The three of them stood there and by now Gwen and Tosh were on the upper level having heard Ianto shouting.

"What is going on?" Gwen demanded looking down.

Owen waved her off. "Girls, go away. Jack and I have got this."

"Like hell you have!"

Gwen trotted down the steps and went straight to Ianto' side.

"Come on pet, let Owen sort you out." She cooed gently steering him back in the direction of the exam bench. "It's fine Ianto. Owen can be a bit of a prick sometimes."

Jack and Owen exchanged bemused looks and Ianto allowed himself to be sat down. Ianto turned wide and frightened eyes back to Jack.

"Don't put me under, please."

Jack was there at his side having moved Gwen out of the way. He touched Ianto's cheek with such tenderness that Gwen couldn't help but feel a small flash of jealousy.

"Ianto why? You know Owen needs to do this otherwise that hand is not going to be fixed."

Ianto leaned into him and whimpered what sounded like. "I'm scared."

Jack hugged him close. "It's just a couple of needles Yan, you've been through much worse than that. Hey, come on."

Ianto trembled. "It's not that."

Owen ushered Gwen and Tosh away then came back to Ianto and Jack his arms folded across his chest.

"Come on Ianto, talk to us. What's the problem?"

"What if I don't wake up?"

"What?" Owen couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice.

"Ianto explain."

Ianto just clung more tightly on to Jack, thoroughly ashamed of his cowardice at such a stupid thing. Only for him it wasn't so stupid. He felt Jack's soft lips against his forehead.

"Yan?"

"I'm scared to sleep. I might not wake up. I don't want to sleep. I have dreams….. they…." Ianto broke down completely.

Owen heaved out a sigh.

"Ok, mate. It's alright…..Jack did you know about this?"

Jack shook his head. "Well, I knew he had bad dreams, but he's never been like this before."

"Does he sleep when you two are together?"

Jack nodded. "He doesn't sleep much, but he never has. He works himself to the point of exhaustion most days, you know that."

Owen was frowning worriedly now.

"Ianto, how much are you sleeping?"

Ianto finally looked up and graced Owen with a look from reddened eyes.

"M'not sure really. I suppose a couple of hours a night. I have dreams and I wake up, can't sleep again after that."

"So what do you do when you can't sleep?"

Ianto sank back down into Jack's arms.

"If he's at home, he reads. If he's here he's archiving." Jack answered.

Owen snorted. "That's how come you're the biggest Know-it-all in Torchwood's history then?"

Ianto actually managed a smile at that.

"So what's with the whole being scared you won't wake up?" Owen asked gently.

"My sister died during an operation, when I was eight."

"Emma?" Jack asked. Ianto nodded. Jack had known she was dead but had never asked about the circumstances. "Ianto, you have to let Owen operate, come on. It'll be fine. I'll be right here and I will not let anything bad happen and neither will Owen."

"I know. I'm just scared. I've never had to have an operation before."

"Ianto, you've faced down Cybermen, cannibals and armed gunmen and you're worried about an anaesthetic? Mate do you know what that's going to do to your reputation?" Owen grinned at him.

"I can feel a Decaf moment coming." Jack warned, joining in. Ianto was feeling incredibly foolish by now. He looked up at Jack.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Being so stupid. I know…."

"Ianto, there is nothing stupid about being afraid. Right now we need you to be brave and let Owen do this."

Ianto nodded reluctantly.

"Good."

Owen sighed with relief. "Ok, mate what time did you last have anything to eat or drink?"

"This morning at seven."

"Ok, that's good. We can get on with this right away then. You want Jack to stay here?"

Ianto nodded.

"Fine, Jack go get a shower and scrubbed up, you can assist. Ianto go with him. Have a shower and be careful of that hand ok."

Jack carefully guided him out of the autopsy bay and Owen sagged with relief.

As Owen and Jack predicted the surgery went well and took less than two hours for Owen to finish up. He quickly checked over his still sleeping patient and left him with Jack. The first thing Ianto saw when he opened his eyes was Jack's smiling face.

"Hey there."

"Jack? Is it done?"

"Yep, you'll be sleepy for the rest of the day though. Don't fret I'll be here."

Ianto closed his eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry. I've been such nuisance, you must think I'm pathetic."

Jack squeezed his hand. "If you were, you wouldn't be here, you'd never have made it in the front door at Canary Wharf, much less here. We all have our foibles Ianto, your's is just a little more unusual than most. Now take the opportunity to rest because as soon as Owen sees you awake and compus mentis you'll be a slave to that coffee machine again."

"Uhm, ok." Ianto drifted off again his fingers wrapped securely around Jack's.


End file.
